DEMS/IMMIGRATION/MILITARY/TAXES/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump dispensed on Thursday [4-5-18] with what he called a ‘boring’ speech on tax reform here, tossing his text to his fans before launching into a lengthy tirade against immigration that included an accusation that Democrats were embracing dangerous policies to secure immigrant votes. Mr. Trump traveled to West Virginia to promote his $1.5 trillion tax overhaul before a friendly audience. But the president grew tired of his prepared remarks after a few moments and returned to the bitter complaints about the United States’ immigration laws that have dominated his attention this week and prompted him on Wednesday [4-4-18] to ask governors to deploy the National Guard to the southern border…The president later told reporters aboard Air Force One that he intended to deploy 2,000 to 4,000 National Guard troops to the border with Mexico. If Mr. Trump sends the low end of his proposal, it would barely exceed the 1,200 sent by President Barack Obama in 2010 to support other border agencies. Even if Mr. Trump sends 4,000, the top end of his proposal, he would be dispatching fewer than President George W. Bush did in 2006.”
–Julie Hirschfeld Davis, “Trump Veers From Tax Script to Blast Democrats on Immigration,” The New York Times online, April 5, 2018